Erica Bruce – Bandwidth

Six Pics: Old 97’s, Heartless Bastards And BJ Barham At 9:30 Club

Erica Bruce — Tue, 10 May 2016 16:32:14 +0000

Playing a Monday night in D.C. can be tough for any act, particularly when the gig kicks off at 10 p.m. But The Old 97s started as bar band in Dallas, so they know what gets a crowd moving any day of the week.

At the 9:30 Club last night — with opening sets from Heartless Bastards and BJ Barham from American Aquarium — Old 97’s deviated from some songs’ typical arrangements, just to mix things up. The group switched to minor key for “Nineteen,” darkening a song about young love, and played the usually somber “Valentine” at a faster pace with a rougher style.

Never mind the Monday night gig: Old 97’s frantic “Every Night Is Friday Night” was just what the doctor ordered. Quipped bassist Murry Hammond, it’s “a song which makes us the Cheap Trick of alt-country.”

BJ Barham:

Heartless Bastards:

Old 97’s:

All photos by Erica Bruce

Six Pics: Puddles Pity Party At 9:30 Club

Erica Bruce — Tue, 26 Apr 2016 17:41:37 +0000

You may recall the cover of Lorde’s “Royals” a while back, performed by a 6-foot-8-inch clown who crooned like Sinatra. That clown, who performs as Puddles Pity Party, brought his eclectic and interactive show to the 9:30 Club in D.C. last night.

Puddles, a sad clown whose voice you only hear in song, brought audience members onstage to have coffee with him, sing backup, eat pie and receive party hats and costumes, all in a very slapstick fashion. Mixed in was him singing songs like “Under Pressure,” “We Don’t Need Another Hero,” “It’s Now or Never” and, of course, “Royals.” Afterward, he took photos with every last audience member.

Puddles may be a sad clown, but his hijinks and impressive voice bring pure joy.

Six Pics: Murder By Death And Kevin Devine At 9:30 Club

Erica Bruce — Mon, 25 Apr 2016 17:08:40 +0000

When Indiana’s Murder by Death kicked off its set Friday at D.C.’s 9:30 Club with a cello-enhanced cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” it brought out all of the feels. But Murder By Death always excels at emotional music, with songs that tell tales with a heavy goth-folk feel and the deep baritone of lead singer Adam Turla. This is a band that could nail the soundtrack to a remake of In Cold Blood.

Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band opened the show. Devine’s music falls closer to the post-punk end of the spectrum than Murder By Death, but the Brooklyn ensemble brought an energy just as intense.

Kevin Devine

Murder By Death

All photos by Erica Bruce

Six Pics: Jonathan Richman At 9:30 Club

Erica Bruce — Fri, 08 Apr 2016 14:16:40 +0000

The quirky founder of influential rock band The Modern Lovers, Jonathan Richman returned to D.C.’s 9:30 Club last night for the first time in a few years.

As is typical of a Richman show, the songwriter was in the mood to party — albeit not in an Andrew W.K. way. Richman’s idea of a party is to sing about fun in Italian, cover Boffalongo’s “Dancing in the Moonlight” and move like he just don’t care.

The most lovely thing about a Jonathan Richman show is the smiley glow you leave with after watching a musician who, after several decades, retains an innocent love of the everyday world — and whose music teaches you how to love it, too.

All photos by Erica Bruce

Six Pics: Brian Fallon & The Crowes At 9:30 Club

Erica Bruce — Wed, 16 Mar 2016 14:45:11 +0000

What we saw when Brian Fallon (of The Gaslight Anthem) and his band The Crowes played 9:30 Club March 15.

All photos by Erica Bruce

Six Pics: Those Darlins Say Goodbye At Rock & Roll Hotel

Erica Bruce — Mon, 14 Mar 2016 19:52:40 +0000

Nashville’s Those Darlins are disbanding, but when the band stopped by D.C.’s Rock & Roll Hotel Sunday night to play one of four goodbye shows, they bid farewell with panache.

With friends and family in the crowd (guitarist Nikki Wariner originates from Rappahannock County), the group delivered fun covers of Divine’s “Female Trouble” and The Crystals’ “Then He Kissed Me” — along with originals — full of rockin’ twang.

All photos by Erica Bruce. See more on Flickr. The original version of this post inaccurately referred to a member of Those Darlins. The musician Nikki Kvarnes, not her bandmate Jessi Wariner, is from Rappahannock County.

Six Pics: The Concert For Valor

Erica Bruce — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 19:28:25 +0000

Last night’s Concert for Valor, held on the National Mall, was as packed as it was star-studded, with crowds going as far back as the Washington Monument. Bruce Springsteen and Dave Grohl went acoustic and The Black Keys made the crowd sway, and many of the acts teamed up: Zac Brown and his band borrowed Springsteen and Grohl for a rousing cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son,” Eminem joined Rihanna for a song, Jennifer Hudson and Jessie J paired up and Carrie Underwood brought out the Air Force’s Singing Sergeants.

But it was Metallica who could have blown the scaffolding off the Capitol. Playing between the audience and dozens of veterans behind them, Metallica made everyone else look tame, and ruled the night.

Eminem—with his “Happy [mother-effing] Veterans Day,” only ruled in terms of vulgarity.

And while the night offered fun, it was heartening to see that the message of soldiers’ issues in war and at home remained front and center. There were video stories of courageous service personnel, and individuals were introduced following their video, driving the point home.

Jessie J

Bruce Springsteen, Dave Grohl and The Zac Brown Band

Carrie Underwood

Metallica

Rihanna